This invention relates to safety procedures for automotive vehicles.
Various safety programs and procedures are currently instituted in connection with automotive vehicles, particularly of the commercial and industrial types such as telephone utility vehicles, public equipment repairing vehicles, construction industry vehicles, etc. Such safety programs and procedures are utilized in an effort to avoid accident liability resulting from hazards in the immediate vicinity of the vehicles. For example, such accidents sometimes occur in surrounding relation to parked vehicles because of the presence of children, tricycles, and other obstructions of which the vehicle operator is not aware prior to operating the vehicle. For that reason, public utility companies will sometimes require that the vehicle operator place safety cones at the rear and/or front of the vehicle while parked and require the vehicle operator to circle the vehicle and inspect the immediate vicinity for hazards while removing the safety cones prior to operating the vehicle. While the use of such safety cones operates as a reminder to the vehicle operator to make the requisite safety inspection, it has been found that the rate of theft of such safety cones is high and that the use of such safety cones does not ensure diligence on the part of vehicle operators in performing the safety inspection duties.
Various vehicle safety systems have heretofore been proposed involving engine starting operation of the vehicle and/or the provision of alarms to discourage unauthorized starting of the vehicle engine. Remote control starting systems are also well known involving switch triggered, signal control of the starting circuit for the vehicle engine. However, none of such known systems are related to safety inspection programs and procedures so as to minimize accident producing hazards external to the vehicle.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a system through which the inspection of safety hazards externally of the vehicle by the vehicle operator is enforced without use of safety cones or other expensive reminders subject to theft.